by Admin | Jan 21, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI The Court of Appeal sitting in Ado Ekiti, has restrained the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Kola Oluwawole from swearing–in Mr Toyin Obayemi in place of the occupant of Ado Constituency 1 seat, Hon Musa Arogundade. The Speaker is to stay action on the matter pending the determination of the appeal filed by the sacked legislator. According to the ruling prepared by Justice Olanrewaju Belgore, which was delivered by Justice P.O. Elechi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was also restrained from recognizing Obayemi as its candidate for the 2015 House of Assembly poll. Arogundade had filed a motion for an order staying the execution of the judgment in a case filed by Obayemi which was delivered on July 4, 2016 judgment delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of an Ado Ekiti Federal High Court. He also filed an injunction restraining the Assembly Speaker from inaugurating Obayemi as the lawmaker representing Ado Constituency 1 pending the determination of the main appeal before the court. Respondents in the motion at the Appeal Court are Obayemi (1st), Independent National Electoral Commission (2nd), Odunayo Talabi (3rd) and PDP (4th). He further urged parties in the suit to maintain status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the main appeal filed by Arogundade to keep his seat in the Assembly. Addressing the court after the ruling was delivered, counsel to the applicant, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said: “The hierarchical structure of our legal system must be preserved; once a higher court has spoken, the lower court should blow the muted trumpet. “The lynchpin of the ruling is that Rt. Hon....
by Admin | Jan 21, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Leonard Dilcon, a former member of the House of Representatives, has accused his divorce-seeking wife, Joy, of sleeping with her pastor, and blamed him for the crisis in his marriage. The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Mr. Dilcon made the accusation while defending himself in a divorce suit filed by his wife at a High Court in Jos. Joy had asked for a dissolution of the 20-year-old marriage in a case she filed on September 14, 2014, and also requested the court to grant her custody of their three children. The defendant, in his submission, accused the wife of neglecting the marriage and further accused her of having extra marital affairs with Pastor Danjuma Fwenji of God’s Grace Divine Mission, Jos. He accused his wife and the said pastor of committing sexual immorality at her parents’ home and the church. “Each time I try to resolve our differences with my wife, the Pastor will appear and confuse everything,” Mr. Dilcon, who represented Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, alleged. But Mr. Fwenji, who appeared before the court on Friday, denied ever having sex with the petitioner. He told the court that he only met the petitioner in 2006, when she was brought to his ministry for prayers and counselling. The pastor said that he and other elders of the church prayed for the woman after listening to her. Under cross examination by the defendant’s counsel, Francis Okafor, Mr. Fwenji said that he could not recall seeing the petitioner again, owing to the large number of people that worship in the church. The Pastor said...
by Admin | Jan 21, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI ENUGU — There was tension in Enugu, yesterday, following the killing of two persons during a bloody clash between some Igbo and Fulani at Gariki Market, Enugu. Those killed were identified as one Ali, a Fulani man and Ifeanyi Ifeacho, an Igbo man. Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State Vanguard sources said the incident happened on Wednesday evening. An eye witness told Vanguard that trouble started in the market when Ali came from New Artisan market with a cow to slaughter in Gariki abattoir, where Ifeanyi worked as an attendant, following the closure of New Artisan market by the Enugu State government earlier this week. According to an eye-witness, when Ali finished slaughtering his cow, he gave Ifeanyi N400 instead of the N500 fee for slaughtering the cow in the abattoir. Ifeanyi was said to have asked Ali to give him the remaining N100 but the Fulani man remained adamant, insisting that he would not pay any other money. The misunderstanding degenerated to a fight between the two during which Ali pulled out a dagger and stabbed Ifeanyi severally on the stomach. Ifeanyi slumped and died on the spot. Ali was said to have attempted to escape but some traders grabbed and lynched him . The angry Igbo traders later mobilized and burnt down the mosque inside Gariki Market. Meanwhile, normalcy has returned, following the deployment of anti-riot policemen to the market and environs even as the Enugu State police Spokesman, Superintendent Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the story. Amaraizu said the command had already deployed anti-riot policemen to Gariki market to stop the situation from escalating. His words:...
by Admin | Jan 21, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI BARELY one week after a 35-year-old fashion designer, Hassan Taiwo, died after he was shot by a policeman in Lagos Island, another police officer attached to the Lion Building Division, Superintendent Raji, has allegedly shot a Lagos Island-based commercial tricyclist, Adisa Fatade. The 37 -year -old transporter who plies Tinubu- Tom Jones axis was shot during a police raid on warring hoodlums around Martins/Evans Streets at about 12 p.m last Thursday. He was said to have visited his sister’s restaurant and was leaving when the officer shot. Fatade was rushed to the hospital but was not treated until a police report was provided. The Nation gathered the police afterwards stormed the hospital and handcuffed the victim on account of being a criminal. The police allgedly threatened his sister, Abimbola Tijani, who refuted the claim that Fatade was among the criminals. She said the officers accused her of conniving with a criminal in sheer defence of their indiscretions. According to her, Fatade had just finished eating when the news of the fight came. She explained that many shop owners immediately locked up for fear that the police might arrive soon. She was seeing Fatade off when the police arrived and began to shoot sporadically in the direction of those fleeing for their dear lives. “It happened the second day after Hassan was shot. Some people were fighting in the area, and everyone wanted to close their stores and leave. That was when the police arrived. People started running on sighting them and the police started shooting in our direction. By the time we stopped running, my brother was...
by Admin | Jan 21, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Little Esther (not real name) must be wondering why life has been so cruel to her. Although, she is only six years old, she has experienced things no child of her age should ever be subjected to. It all started when Esther, a pupil of a private primary school in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos State, was playing with her brother recently. To the shock of the brother, she suddenly started kissing his manhood. After much probing; she accused her teachers of defiling her. The minor confessed that one of her teachers had taught her about sex during after-school tutoring and that the practice had been going on for months. However, after the case was reported to the police, further investigation revealed that the girl had been sexually abused by two teachers. “She has not been eating well and has been crying every time; my baby has suffered trauma,” the mother said. Recalling the incident, the mother said, “I noticed my daughter was kissing her brother’s manhood. When I asked her where she learnt that from, she started shivering and claimed that it was nothing. “I took her inside like a mother would do, then she opened up that it was actually what she viewed on her teacher’s laptop. “So, I asked her for more details. She said when the lesson was over; the teacher would play pornographic videos for her to watch. “And after that, he would start caressing her until he penetrates her with his manhood and fingers. “From what she said, it happened about four or five times. “We reported the case to the...
by Admin | Jan 20, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Boko Haram extremists have attacked a refugee camp in north-east Nigeria days after government planes bombed it, witnesses said, as reports emerged that the death toll from the bombing could be as high as 170. More than 100 Boko Haram fighters launched the attack on Thursday evening, and soldiers battled for hours trying to repel them, witnesses said. Share One witness said eight Boko Haram fighters were killed and one soldier was injured in the assault on the camp at Rann in Borno state, near the border with Cameroon. On Tuesday, Nigeria’s air force bombed the camp housing Boko Haram refugees multiple times. Nigerian officials have said it was an accident. On Friday, medical charity Doctors Without Borders said “around 90” people were killed in the bombing but residents and community leaders said the toll could be as high as 170. Satellite imagery from the bombing supports witness accounts that the camp was struck with “multiple air-dropped munitions” even though tents should have been easily visible, Human Rights Watch said. The group has called for victims to be compensated. Nigeria’s air force has said a panel of senior officers will investigate. The Boko Haram attack occurred as aid workers were trying to help bombing victims. The Red Cross said it had evacuated nearly 90 people from Rann to Maiduguri city for medical care. “This incident happened just an hour after a (Doctors Without Borders) rescue helicopter left the town and has a traumatising effect on everyone in Rann,” said one aid worker. Source:...
by Admin | Jan 20, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI A four-year-old girl (names withheld), pupil of Unity Nursery/Primary School, Inyi, Enugu State, allegedly stolen by her mother’s younger sister and the boyfriend, and sold to one Florence Nwokocha for N350,000, has been recovered by police operatives in Abia State. This was disclosed by Enugu State Police Command in a statement in Enugu yesterday. The Command’s spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu, said report of the missing girl was made to the police on December 15, 2016 by Inyi community. According to him, “following the development, the incident was reported to the state command where it was referred to the Gender/Anti-Human Trafficking section of the state Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department. Source:...
by Admin | Jan 20, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Detectives yesterday grilled a former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Azubuike Umezulike, over the N632.2million allegedly traced to his account. But the ex-CJ, in a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), insisted that he was “spotless” and incorruptible. He alleged that Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Peter Ezeh were behind his ordeal. The EFCC however said there was no petition from Ekweremadu before it against the ex-CJ. Umezulike appeared before a team of interrogators after the EFCC rejected his January 12 application to travel abroad for eye treatment and a wobbly leg. It was learnt that the ex-CJ arrived at the EFCC’s zonal office in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, at about 10am after which his interrogation began. A top source said: “After exchange of letters which made the EFCC to insist on his appearance, the former Enugu CJ has finally honoured our invitation. “So far, he is responding to the petitions against him.” On the ex-CJ’s request to go abroad for treatment, the source said: “We have told him that if he honours our invitation (which he has done now), we will agree on when he will travel out and for how long in order not to jeopardise our investigation. “The letter Justice Umezulike wrote to us is silent on the date of the trip, the exact duration and the date of return. That was why we did not accede to his request.” Justice Umezulike, in a January 12 letter to the EFCC, said Ekweremadu plotted his travails. The ex-CJ made his position known in a January 12 letter...
by Admin | Jan 20, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI The British High Commissioner to Nigeria Paul Arkwright yesterday said the bombing of the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Borno State by the Air Force was not deliberate. He said the ongoing probe of the bombing error should enable the nation to avoid such mistakes in future. He said the UK would not relent in its support for the Federal Government to defeat Boko Haram. He also said Britain might back a military action in The Gambia. Arkwright spoke in a telephone interview with Nigeria Info FM, Port Harcourt. The transcript of the interview was released last night. He said: “First of all can I express my deepest sympathy to all of those who are affected by this terrible bombing. I do think it was a tragic mistake. “I’ve seen some suggestions that it was deliberate; I’m absolutely certain that it was not deliberate. “What is important here is in the short term, doing the best for those who have been injured, the families of those who have been bereaved , and I know that the Federal Government and the state government and indeed international NGOs are working very hard to help the wounded to make sure they get proper medical treatment, and to take the necessary actions there. That’s in the short term. “I think what’s also necessary is a thorough investigation by the Nigerian Air force or the Nigerian military to determine exactly what happened, because clearly it was a mistake. “Mistakes can occur, what’s really important is that the right actions are taken to avoid such mistakes happening again. And until that investigation happens,...
by Admin | Jan 20, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI A robbery gang member, Timothy Ajayi, on Thursday admitted that his gang robbed and killed a couple , Mr. Micheal Akhigbe (65) and Juana (60), at the Fate Area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. Ajayi, who also owned up to raping the woman, added that other gang members later killed the couple. Another member of his gang, Adeyemi Aderinkomi, also confirmed that Ajayi raped the woman. Ajayi, Aderemi and their accomplices were paraded on Thursday for conspiracy, rape, armed robbery and culpable homicide. Other suspects were also paraded for allegedly being members of a fraudulent recruitment syndicate. Ajayi said, “I became a robber because of financial problem. I regret it. I have only tried to dupe one person, but I was not successful. I am a teacher. I admit that I raped the woman.” Adeyemi said the couple did not offend them, adding that they robbed the family after they were informed that the couple had important documents in their possession. The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olusola Amore, said a family member of the deceased, Mr. Bernard John, on December 21, 2016, reported at the ‘F’ division, Tanke, Ilorin, that he visited the house of the deceased to convey him to work, only for him to discover that the couple were nowhere to be found. The CP stated that on the strength of the report, police detectives visited the house and found bloodstains in the room of the couple. He added that a search in the compound led the detectives to where the bodies of the deceased were. He explained that the couple’s bodies...
by Admin | Jan 19, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI The message spreads via WhatsApp groups, or comes from a friend who “recommends” the service A new WhatsApp scam is doing the rounds, promising users of the messaging app a free internet service, without needing to use WiFi. As usual, the message spreads via WhatsApp groups, or comes from a friend who “recommends” the service – often unaware that it is a scam. In this case, victims receive a special invitation with a link: Clicking on the link takes the victim through to a page that tells them to share the message with at least 13 people in order to activate the free WiFi service. The page contains fake comments from people who have supposedly tried the service, stating that it works, making the scheme appear...
by Admin | Jan 19, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI He reminded the court that some of the witnesses had confessed in court admitting their several roles during which funds were withdrawn from the state treasury for Mr. Nyame’s use. He said: “Those who took part in purchase of stationery have come to court and explained their roles through which the money was instead, transferred to bank account belonging to close confidante of the defendant, and all these were not contended.” Citing Exhibit Z6, Adeniyi reminded the court that another witness testified to how money purportedly earmarked for the purchase of grains, were never utilized for what it was pencilled for, but instead, “the money was brought to the defendant”. He further argued that: “All your lordship will do is to see whether there’s ground upon which your lordship can ask the defendant to enter his defence, not that he is guilty or not, or whether evidence is good enough to convict him, but to say he should defend himself.” He concluded that in the instant, the prosecution has led sufficient evidence to warrant calling the defendant to enter into his defence. “We urge your lordship to overrule this no case submission and to hold that the defendant has a case to answer,” he said. After listening to the arguments, Justice Banjoko, urged both parties to submit the authorities cited in their submissions, adding that “I want to go through all the evidence, and will give my ruling on February 14,...
by Admin | Jan 19, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI A Supervisory Councillor for Agriculture in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State, Umar Ibrahim, and four others have been arrested by the Maiduguri office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for the alleged diversion of 300 bags of rice. The rice was donated by Danish Refugee Council, DRC, a Non-Governmental Organization and meant for Internally Displayed Persons, IDPs, in the council. The arrest was triggered by intelligence report. Others arrested along with the councillor are Bulama Zangebe, Modu Bulama, Halilu Abdullahi, and Abacha Ali. According to some of the suspects, the Caretaker Chairman of Mafa Local Government, Shettima Maina, allegedly instructed the sale of the rice to the duo of Lawan Ibrahim of Bolori Stores and Umar Salisu at the rate of N8,500 per bag. Mr. Maina and two other suspects are still at...
by Admin | Jan 19, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI A man, identified only as Asunmo, has been detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, Lagos State, for allegedly killing a driver, Sodiq Fatai. We learnt that Asunmo stabbed Fatai to death with a knife at the White Sand area of Ijora Badia, during a scuffle over a prostitute. The suspect was said to have challenged the victim over his relationship with the lady, whom he (Asunmo) was dating. Despite his denial, Asunmo was alleged to have attacked the victim and fled the area. A community leader, who did not want to be identified, said his attention was called to Fatai’s corpse, which was abandoned on a heap of refuse in the area. He said, “I was told that the two men fought and one stabbed the other to death. The police from the Ijora Badia came to take the corpse away.” When our correspondent approached other residents, they said they were informed by friends. However, a woman, who did not identify herself, said the two men were drunk. She said, “The men were always fighting after drinking. They fought after they were inebriated.” Another resident said the victim was a driver, while the suspect had no job. A police source said Asunmo and Fatai had a disagreement over a woman. He said, “Asunmo suspected that Fatai was dating his girlfriend and he confronted him. Although the man denied, he attacked and killed him. The woman in question is a prostitute.” The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said the suspect had been arrested. She said, “The corpse has been deposited in the...
by Admin | Jan 19, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI After “torturing” a man to death, Nigeria’s secret police, SSS, exploited the influence of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, to pay a paltry N15 million compensation to the victim’s family, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. At about 2.30 a.m. on April 4, SSS operatives on the trail of a suspect accused of cloning the phone number of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, stormed No 37, Aje Street, Pleasure, in the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos in commando style. Residents of the address said the operatives scaled the fenceof the compound, screaming and threatening as they knocked down doors and shattered ceilings. They rough-handled residents, who thought they were armed robbers as they did not introduce themselves, dragged them from their beds, ordered them out of their apartments and forced them to sit on the dusty ground of the compound. About an hour later, when they were done harassing the residents, Saheed Eyitayo, 34, a friend to the suspect the operatives were looking for, laid in the dust motionless – beaten to a pulp by the operatives. One resident, who described the entire experience as “nightmarish,” told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Eyitayo was so battered that he couldn’t stand unaided – three operatives had to drag him into one of the vans the armed men brought with them. Unfortunately, that was the last time he would be seen alive in public. The operatives were led to the residence by Adejoke Ogunbona, the wife of the wanted man, Rilwanu Jamiu. While on the run for the alleged crime, Mr. Jamiu, who is now facing trial alongside another suspect, had spent...
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